Basilica restoration reveals paintings honoring Gospel writers

Published: 2005-10-04

BALTIMORE (CNS) -- It was a routine procedure that turned into a remarkable discovery. An architect gently tapped on the wall above the arches that support the dome of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore as a simple way to see what was hollow and what was solid. Hidden behind a layer of protective wood some 60 feet above the ground were four distempered water-based paintings honoring the evangelists -- Matthew, Mark, Luke and John -- dating back to 1865. The rectangular works, each 11 feet wide and 8 feet high, feature a blue and white background, like the sky. Each bears one of the evangelist's names, written in Latin, along with a cream-colored book and quill alluding to the work of the Gospel writers. In addition, each evangelist is portrayed symbolically in the form of one of the four creatures mentioned in the biblical account of the apocalypse -- Matthew represented by a man, Mark by a lion, Luke by a calf and John by an eagle.

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